New Publication Explores the Future of Literacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
July 2026
As generative artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly common part of teaching and learning, researchers from the DCoaD Literacies Lab are helping shape how educators prepare students for that new reality. In a newly published article in TechTrends, “A Taxonomy of Literacy Practices for Engaging with Artificial Intelligence: Reading and Writing in the Age of Generative AI,” Dr. Amy Hutchison, Dr. Marissa Filderman, and GRA Chinecherem Ezeihejafor introduced a research-based framework to evaluate literacy for AI learning environments. The article outlined the knowledge and practices students need to critically evaluate literacy practices with AI technologies while emphasizing ethical and thoughtful engagement. By extending established theories of digital literacy to include generative AI, the proposed framework will provides educators and researchers with practical guidance for fostering the next generation of AI learners.
You may use this link to access the article in TechTrends: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-026-01205-1
Collaborative Code-N-Sensor Summer Camp Showcases DCoaD Literacies Lab’s Commitment to STEM Learning
June 2026
Early this summer, Drs. Feiya Luo, Amy Hutchison, and Chris Crawford from the Colleges of Education and Engineering, as well as staff and students affiliated with the University of Alabama’s Digital, Computational, and Data Literacies (DCoaD) Literacies Lab, welcomed 61 students in grades 3-5 from the Tuscaloosa area to the second Code-N-Sensor Summer Camp. The camp provided a supportive hands-on environment where students could experiment, ask questions, and explore STEM literacy. The program also offered valuable opportunities for current elementary educators, UA teacher candidates, and College of Education and Engineering researchers to examine effective approaches for engaging young learners in education on computer science and artificial intelligence.
At the camp, students worked as scientists (complete with lab coats) to investigate challenges, collect and interpret data, and develop both technical skills and confidence as learners while area teachers and UA teacher candidates gained curricular knowledge and hands-on experience as facilitators for the camp.
Throughout the week-long camp, students explored concepts related to computer science and artificial intelligence through activities that combined coding, sensors, literacy, and real-world applications of technology. At the end of the camp, students put what they learned into practice as they competed in daily events like robot dog races, complete with snazzy outfits and creative decorations. The camp’s events allowed students to see themselves as digitally literate technology creators, innovators, and future problem-solvers capable of shaping the future.
Camp leaders Dr. Amy Hutchison and Dr. Chris Crawford gather students while graduate student Vincent Ingram demonstrate how to program a drone to move based your brain activity.
Dr. Feiya Luo looks on as students learn how to program their quadruped robots to move based on live input from the students’ muscle actions.
Before participating in the quadruped robot race, students got creative and designed outfits for their robot!
It’s finally time for the quadruped robot race! Students control their fully programed—and creatively kitted out—robots using the muscle activity in their arms. The first robot to cross the finish line wins!
Celebrating Literacy at the Inaugural Read Like a Legend Event
November 2025
The DCoaD Literacies Lab partnered with the UA College of Education as well as numerous UA organizations and local partners to bring families, children, educators, and community members together for the inaugural Read Like a Legend Event. This exciting, hands-on celebration of literacy invited attendees to engage with storytelling, innovative technology, coding activities, crafts, and other interactive experiences that promoted literacy in West Alabama. With strong community support and enthusiastic collaboration from community groups (and even Big Al!!), Read Like a Legend was a fun and memorable success.
Read more about this event here: https://stories.ua.edu/coe-digital-magazine/issues/2025/inaugural-read-like-a-legend-event-a-successful-community-celebration-of-literacy/index.html
Supporting Roll Tide for Reading: A Collaborative Partnership Supporting Children’s Literacy Development
2025
Throughout 2025, the DCoaD Literacies Lab supported several events sponsored by Roll Tide for Reading (RTFR), a University of Alabama student organization dedicated to promoting children’s literacy across the Tuscaloosa community. The Lab partnered with RTFR on Ready, Set, GROW!, a West Alabama United Way–sponsored event that supported parents and caregivers of children under five by providing developmental screenings and resources focused on early literacy and growth. The Lab also supported Read for the Record, in which RTFR members read with elementary students at Tuscaloosa-area schools, and Operation Backpack, a donation initiative to provided 100 fully stocked backpacks to students in need throughout the community.
In addition, through its collaboration with RTFR, the DCoaD Literacies Lab helped install a Little Free Library, expanding access to free books and fostering literacy engagement in Tuscaloosa beyond the classroom.
Digital platform “Compose with AI” help students collect relevant information for digital compositions
April 2024
We are excited to announce our new digital platform “Compose with AI,” created as part of an NSF RAPID AI grant. This digital tool that guides students to critically evaluate and write with AI-generated content.
Read more about this work here:
https://dcdll.lab.ua.edu/compose-with-ai/
$1.1M grant will help bridge computer science education gap in underserved Alabama communities
April 2024 / UA College of Education Newsletter
Check out this recent publication in The University of Alabama College of Education April 2024 Newsletter of our new grant funding new computer science opportunities for students in underserved Alabama communities:
https://stories.ua.edu/coe-newsletter/editions/2024/april/index.html
The U.S. National Science Foundation’s Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program recently awarded $1.1 million in funding to a grant program that will introduce young students to a hands-on physiological computing curriculum while also giving them a look at what kinds of STEM career opportunities await them in the future. This three-year project, led by Dr. Feiya Luo, Dr. Chris Crawford, and Dr. Amy Hutchison, will work toward bridging the gap that students in underserved communities experience when it comes to computer science education – specifically, for now, in Tuscaloosa City elementary schools. Professional development will be provided to more than a dozen teachers within these schools, equipping them with the knowledge, preparation, and skills needed to teach basic computer science education.
Digital Literacy For All
January 22, 2024 / by David Miller
Check out this recent publication from The University of Alabama about Fayard Endowed Chair, Dr. Amy Hutchison, and some of the projects she is working on in West Alabama to bring digital literacy opportunities to new places and new students:
https://news.ua.edu/2024/01/digital-literacy-for-all/
Since arriving at UA, Hutchison has been awarded a pair of National Science Foundation grants to help area youth improve literacy skills and use them to read and write with technology. This multi-pronged approach includes a partnership with Arts ‘n Autism in Tuscaloosa to offer computer science education to students with autism spectrum disorder. The other NSF-funded project aids in the research and development of Compose with AI, a platform to help young learners evaluate and vet AI-generated content for science-based writing.
